The best real estate CRM for your unique business needs

Picture this: It's Monday morning, and your phone is already buzzing with new leads, follow-up reminders, and client meetings. Three potential buyers are waiting for property updates, and you just got word about a hot new listing. Sound familiar? For real estate professionals, this is a complex workday that requires an efficient system to manage multiple tasks effectively.

Now, let’s cut to the chase. This article isn’t going to be your typical comparison guide filled with neutral analysis. We’re here to tell you why we think Bigin is the best real estate CRM on the market.

From its ease of use to its tailor-made features for real estate professionals, we’ll walk you through exactly why Bigin stands out. We’ve also included some alternatives for those who want to explore other options. But trust us, Bigin is the star of the show. But before we begin, let's get a bit of a background on the concept of a real estate CRM.

What does CRM mean in real estate?

Customer relationship management (CRM) might sound like just another business acronym, but in real estate, it's the backbone of successful operations. Think of it this way: If your real estate business were a house, your CRM would be both the foundation and the framework holding everything together.

But what exactly makes a real estate CRM different from any other CRM system? It's all in the specialized features.

• Property tracking: Unlike generic CRMs, real estate-specific systems can handle detailed property information, from square footage to school districts.

• Transaction management: Real estate deals have unique stages and requirements—your CRM needs to understand the journey from listing to closing.

• Client categories: Buyers, sellers, investors, and renters all need different approaches. A real estate CRM helps you manage these relationships differently.

• Timeline management: Real estate has specific timing requirements for everything from offer deadlines to closing dates. Your CRM should help you stay on top of these crucial timelines.

Why real estate agents trust Bigin CRM for their unique needs

We can tailor Bigin for your small business needs in ways that transform how you operate. Whether you're a solo agent hustling to build your client base or a growing team managing multiple listings, Bigin adapts to your unique workflow while keeping everything organized and accessible. Its intuitive design means you spend less time learning software and more time closing deals.

Best real estate CRM for a single agent

As a solo real estate agent, managing every aspect of your business alone can be overwhelming. Your CRM solution needs to simplify your workload, not complicate it. Here's what solo agents specifically need to consider:

• Time management: When you're handling everything yourself, efficiency isn't just nice to have—it's essential for survival.

• Cost-effectiveness: Solo agents often can't justify enterprise-level pricing but still need professional-grade features.

• Easy learning curve: You don't have time for lengthy training sessions or complex setup processes.

• Mobile accessibility: Your office is wherever you are—your CRM needs to be just as mobile.

Why Bigin is the go-to real estate CRM for single agents

For the busy solo real estate agent, Bigin emerges as the best CRM for single-agent operations. The platform has an easy-to-use system that you can learn in just a few hours. This lets you focus on what matters most—serving your clients and closing deals.

The mobile app keeps you connected to your business. It gives you full access to your client database, property listings, and task management tools. You can use it at home, in the office, or while showing properties. This mobility is crucial for solo agents who need to manage their business on the go.

What truly makes Bigin the best CRM for single-agent use is its streamlined approach to task management. The platform automatically organizes your follow-ups, client communications, and deadlines, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks even without a support team. You can efficiently track leads, schedule appointments, and manage your pipeline all from one central dashboard.

The customization options are particularly valuable, allowing you to adapt the system to your specific workflow without requiring technical expertise. Whether you're focusing on residential sales, rentals, or a mix of both, you can tailor the platform to match your business model.

Other real estate CRMs for single agents

Follow Up Boss  

You could also explore Follow Up Boss, a CRM for solo agents who want to stay organized and build a solid foundation for potential growth. This platform brings together all your lead sources, client data, and website integrations in one place. This makes it easy to see all your client interactions.

Follow Up Boss has features like "Action Plans" and "Smart Lists," which help automate tasks like follow-ups and client check-ins. Whether you’re nurturing a new lead or staying in touch with past clients, this CRM ensures that no opportunity slips through the cracks.

Additionally, Follow Up Boss designers created it with scalability in mind, making it a great choice if you’re considering expanding your solo operation into a team down the line. Its easy-to-use interface and automation features help you manage your daily tasks. You can also stay ready for future growth. For agents who want a CRM that grows with their ambitions, Follow Up Boss is a strong contender.

Real Geeks   

For agents looking for a clean, modern CRM that maximizes productivity, Real Geeks is a great option. Built specifically for real estate professionals, Real Geeks simplifies your workflow with tools designed to help you manage leads, follow-ups, and client interactions more effectively.

This platform’s modern interface is intuitive, ensuring you can dive right in without unnecessary complexity. Real Geeks is also purpose-built to help agents make the most of their time and marketing investments. You can boost productivity and stay organized while scaling your business with this solution.

Real Geeks offers features like automated follow-ups, lead segmentation, and dashboards that help agents maintain a bird’s-eye view of their operations. Real Geeks helps you streamline your day-to-day by running campaigns, managing inquiries, and tracking client touchpoints.

Best commercial real estate CRM    

Commercial real estate operates in a league of its own. Success in this sector demands precision, detailed analytics, and the ability to manage complex, long-term commercial transactions. Let's examine what commercial real estate professionals need from their CRM:

• Complex transaction management: Your deals involve multiple moving parts—buyer requirements, seller expectations, broker coordination, and lengthy negotiations.

• Financial analysis: Your metrics require careful monitoring—property valuations, cash flow projections, market comparisons, and investment returns.

• Professional documentation: Your client materials need consistent excellence—market analyses, property reports, investment summaries, and transaction records.

• Portfolio management: Your property portfolio spans diverse needs—tenant tracking, maintenance schedules, financial performance, and market positioning.

Why Bigin excels as a commercial real estate CRM

For commercial real estate agents, Bigin stands out by offering features specifically designed for complex property transactions. The platform handles the demands of commercial deals while maintaining an intuitive interface that doesn't require extensive training.

What you'll love about Bigin is its robust reporting and analytics capabilities. You can generate detailed property analysis reports, track key performance metrics, and manage multiple stakeholders—all from a single dashboard. The system automatically organizes crucial customer data points, making it simple to access and share critical information during negotiations.

The platform's customization options are super useful in commercial real estate settings. You can adapt deal stages, create custom fields for specific property types, and set up automated workflows that match your unique commercial real estate processes. Whether you're handling office leases, retail properties, or industrial spaces, Bigin is flexible enough to meet all of your needs.

Other commercial real estate CRM software

SharpLaunch   

For a streamlined, all-in-one commercial real estate solution, SharpLaunch stands out with its integrated lead management system. Designed to connect directly to your website, SharpLaunch captures and organizes leads while syncing with its built-in email marketing, document portal, and reporting tools.

Its standout features include automated tracking of user behavior, such as document downloads and email engagement, giving you a clear view of client activity. With custom property listing pages, map views for seamless property searches, and advanced contact segmentation, SharpLaunch makes managing commercial real estate properties intuitive and efficient.

Apto   

You can also consider Apto, a Salesforce-powered CRM tailored specifically for commercial real estate brokers. Its end-to-end solution allows brokers to manage the entire deal lifecycle, from appointment setting and task automation to renewal management and back-office functions.

Apto excels in collaboration, making it easy to track deals involving multiple brokers while offering robust forecasting tools for commission and probability projections. Its built-in project management system ensures that every milestone and task stays on track, making it a powerful tool for brokers managing complex transactions and multiple stakeholders.

ClientLook  

ClientLook offers a comprehensive, all-in-one CRM tailored specifically for commercial real estate. It integrates contact, property, and deal management into a unified platform, ensuring that all aspects of your brokerage operate in unison. ClientLook offers powerful collaboration support for brokers working on deals and advanced importing/exporting features for legacy systems.

With ClientLook, you have access to a personalized property inventory database that links properties directly to specific contacts and companies, streamlining property and client management. With pipeline tools that track activities, files, and client interactions in real time, brokers can effectively manage deals from start to finish. Integrations with tools like MailChimp, RPR Commercial, and TheAnalyst® PRO further enhance ClientLook's capabilities.

Real estate CRM for workflow automation

Repetitive tasks shouldn't consume your valuable time. Modern real estate demands smart automation that streamlines operations without sacrificing the personal touch. Here's what matters in workflow automation:

• Intelligent task management: Your deal workflow generates various responsibilities—stage transitions, document collection, client updates, and team coordination.

• Document automation: Your paperwork demands span multiple touchpoints—contracts, disclosures, applications, and transaction records.

• Communication workflows: Your client communications flow across different channels—updates, reminders, milestone notifications, and scheduled check-ins.

• Timeline management: Your critical dates emerge throughout the process—contract deadlines, inspection periods, closing schedules, and regulatory timelines.

How Bigin transforms your daily workflows

Bigin distinguishes itself through intelligent automation that genuinely simplifies your workday. The platform's automation capabilities go beyond basic task scheduling, offering sophisticated workflows that adapt to your specific real estate processes.

The system's intelligent automation handles everything from lead nurturing sequences to transaction milestone tracking. You can set up custom workflows that automatically generate tasks, send notifications, and update deal stages based on specific triggers. This means you spend less time on administrative tasks and more time focusing on client relationships.

Bigin strikes the right balance between automation and personalization. While the system handles routine tasks automatically, it maintains the personal touch that's essential in real estate relationships. You can customize automated responses, set up conditional workflows, and ensure that every client interaction feels authentic and timely.

Alternative real estate CRM for workflow automation

Realvolve  

Another option worth considering is Realvolve, a CRM designed to bring order to the often-chaotic world of real estate transactions. It offers customizable workflows that allow you to automate nearly every aspect of your business, while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to real-life delays, cancelations, or last-minute changes.

Unlike many CRMs, Realvolve enables you to branch workflows based on transaction or property type, triggering only the most relevant tasks and communications..

The Realvolve team actively listens to your feedback and continuously refines the platform's intuitive design to meet your evolving demands. If you're looking for a CRM that can streamline operations without losing a personal touch, then Realvolve is a solid choice for workflow automation.

Affordable and easy-to-use real estate CRM options

Value in a CRM isn't just about features; it's about getting maximum impact without breaking the bank. Smart real estate professionals need options that deliver results while maintaining reasonable costs. Here's what to consider in CRM pricing:

• Total value assessment: Your CRM investment should align with outcomes—feature utilization, productivity gains, revenue impact, and ROI metrics.

• Scalability options: Your growth path needs flexibility—user additions, feature upgrades, storage expansion, and pricing tiers.

• Feature accessibility: The essential features you need must be within budget—contact management, pipeline tracking, automation capabilities, and reporting functions.

• Implementation costs: Your system adoption requires efficiency—quick setup, intuitive interface, team training, and minimal downtime.

Bigin: The most affordable real estate CRM

Bigin has revolutionized the concept of affordable real estate CRM solutions. Starting at just $7 per user, the platform delivers enterprise-level features without the enterprise-level price tag. This makes it particularly attractive for growing real estate businesses that need professional features without excessive overhead costs.

The platform's freemium version stands out by offering a robust set of essential features that many competitors reserve for paid tiers. This allows you to test and implement the software without any initial investment, ensuring it meets your needs before committing to a paid plan.

With Bigin, you get access to critical features like lead management, email marketing, and automation capabilities without having to upgrade to premium tiers. This transparent pricing approach, combined with regular updates and improvements, makes Bigin a smart choice for cost-conscious real estate professionals.

Other affordable, easy-to-use real estate CRM software

Freshsales   

For real estate professionals seeking another budget-friendly CRM, Freshsales stands out as a good alternative. Known for its affordability, Freshsales offers a tiered pricing model that caters to agents at different stages of their careers, starting with a free plan and then moving on to $9/user/month for its Growth plan. Despite its competitive pricing, it doesn’t skimp on essential features.

One highlight is its smart web form integration, which captures leads directly from your website and enriches them with data like social media profiles and profile pictures. This eliminates the manual effort of inputting prospect details, giving agents more time to focus on conversions.

You can find a detailed comparison between Freshsales and Bigin here.

Monday CRM  

Monday CRM is a customizable, no-code platform that agents can use to streamline real estate sales processes, starting at just $12/user/month.

Its CRM item page gives you a complete view of client information and deal stages, perfect for tracking properties and transactions. It features automation tools that help you save time by assigning leads, setting reminders for property showings, and notifying agents of client interactions.

You can tailor the platform to fit your real estate pipeline, manage multiple property listings, and track client communications. All this and more make Monday CRM an affordable, flexible choice for real estate professionals.

You can find more information about Top Monday CRM alternatives here.

Making your choice

Selecting the right CRM for your real estate business is more than just choosing a software tool—it's a strategic decision that will impact your day-to-day operations and long-term growth. To ensure you’re making the best choice, remember to keep these key factors in mind.

 1. Current needs vs. future growth    

It's essential to choose a CRM that not only meets your immediate needs but can also scale as your business expands. Look for a system that offers flexibility and can evolve with you, whether you're adding team members, managing more properties, or expanding your marketing efforts.

 2. Team adoption    

A CRM is only as effective as your team's ability to use it. Choose a platform that's intuitive and easy to learn, so your team can quickly adopt it without extensive training. An easy-to-use interface ensures higher engagement and productivity.

 3. Integration requirements    

Ensure that the CRM integrates with the tools you already use—whether it’s your email provider, lead generation systems, or listing databases. The best CRMs reduce friction, so you don’t have to juggle multiple systems.

4. Support and training  

Make sure your CRM provider offers robust customer support and training resources. Real estate professionals need prompt help when problems arise, and ongoing training ensures you're maximizing the platform's features.

 5. Cost vs. value  

While cost is always a consideration, it’s important to evaluate the CRM’s overall value. Focus on your return on investment (ROI)—a slightly higher monthly fee could be worthwhile if the system increases efficiency, streamlines communication, and drives more deals.

Why Bigin is the right choice   

When it comes to balancing flexibility, affordability, and real estate-specific features, Bigin checks all the boxes. It's an ideal CRM for agents, brokers, and growing real estate businesses. It offers a robust, easy-to-use interface, deep integration capabilities, and a mobile app to keep you connected even when you're on the go. Plus, Bigin’s scalable structure means it can grow with your business, adapting to new needs as they arise.

Bigin automates your pipeline management, helping you track contacts, properties, and deals with ease. Its affordable pricing makes it a practical option for any real estate professional looking to get the most out of their CRM without breaking the bank.

With a solid combination of the best features from other tools on the market, Bigin delivers exceptional value for your business, helping you stay organized and maximize efficiency. It’s the balanced, flexible, and cost-effective solution your real estate business needs to succeed in the market.

Remember, the right CRM isn't just about managing contacts; it's about building a systematic approach to growing your real estate business. Carefully evaluate all your options, test free versions when available, and select a solution that meets your specific needs. 

So, that’s all for today! In our next piece, we’ll dive into the importance of lead nurturing and explore different CRMs that can help turn potential clients into loyal customers. Stay tuned!

Give Bigin's free trial a go and see the magic for yourself!

Frequently asked questions about real estate CRMs

What is the best free CRM for real estate professionals?  

Free CRM options include:

1. Bigin: Robust freemium version with advanced features
2. Freshsales: Functional free plan for small teams
3. Follow Up Boss: Limited free features with scalable upgrade options

What are the top 10 CRM for real estate?  

Top 10 Real Estate CRMs:

1. Bigin by Zoho

2. Top Producer

3. Market Leader

4. Follow Up Boss

5. Real Geeks

6. Pipedrive

7. LionDesk

8. Apto

9. SharpLaunch

10. ClientLook

What is a cheap, easy-to-use real estate CRM?  

Affordable and user-friendly CRMs:

1. Bigin: Starting at just $7 per user
2. Freshsales: Competitive pricing at $9/user/month
3. Monday CRM: Starting at $12/user/month
4. Real Geeks: Cost-effective with modern interface

What is the best affordable small business CRM for professionals in the real estate industry?  

Affordable small business CRMs:

1. Bigin: Designed for small businesses with scalable features
2. Monday CRM: Flexible, no-code platform
3. Freshsales: Tiered pricing for growing businesses
4. Follow Up Boss: Scalable solution for solo agents and small teams